To date the apparatus for pulping, involves in general, a propeller extending into a tank containing waste paper in water, and the propeller being driven by a motor to disperse the fibers.
Prior art pertaining to dispersing and pulping apparatus is as follows.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,741,863 to BROOKS. Disclosure is made of a dry process for solid waste recovery and the fibers may be used for board or paper production.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,017,033 to JOSEF TRA. Disclosure is made of a slusher and a sieve mounted behind an impeller in the slusher. The claims of this patent include only the slusher, perforated plate and impeller.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,160,722 to MARSH. This patent discloses a rotor in a tub for disintegrating fibers and air separation of plastic pieces.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,382,559 to HELLBERG. This patent discloses utilization of corrugated paper and includes a cylinder tumbling apparatus, and longitudinal vanes or blades, which rotate in the same direction as the cylinder, but at a higher rpm than the cylinder. (see FIGS. 2 and 3 of this patent)
U.S. Pat. No. 4,385,997 to STRADAL. Method and apparatus is disclosed for treatment of corrugate material.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,650,125 to PELLHAMMER. Disclosure is made of paddles in a horizontal tank, and a domed guide surface to guide the fiber stock mass.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,687,146 to SUNDMAN. A rotating drum, with a perforated plate on the outlet end of the drum is disclosed, with retention control in the drum being a function of the opening in a partition wall.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,867,383 to TERRY. Disclosure is made of shredding and screening of waste paper by means of passing through a fan.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,991,720 to HUGLAND. This patent discloses an apparatus for dividing a suspension of fibrous cellulose pulp by means of a flat disc having teeth and rotation of this disk.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,125,584 to VUORINEN. Disclosure is made of rotor units and screen plates for pulp purification.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,262,003 to CHUPKA. This patent discloses treating fibrous materials with steam under pressure and a feed screw.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,372,316 to BATEMAN. Disclosure is made of swing hammers and hog for processing of waste for subsequent processing.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,324,389 to SPENCER. Disclosure is made in this patent of apparatus of drum type pulpers, and including arms and buckets on the arms which dip into the pool of stock in the drum pulper.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,918 to PASTOR. A pulper is disclosed of a spiral shaped rotor for driving foreign bodies upward in an archimedes screw.